Breathing Lessons

According to poet and journalist Mark O'Brien, "The two mythologies about disabled people break down to one: we can't do anything, or two: we can do everything. But the truth is, we're just human." Mark contracted polio in childhood and lived for decades as an adult paralyzed in an iron lung. For more than forty years, he fought against illness, bureaucracy and society's conflicting perceptions of disability for his right to lead an independent life all the while practicing his craft. This film is a look at Mark's own point of view - a window into the reality of a life of severe disability, as well as a portrait of a remarkable man, a remarkable artist.